Glenn Kay, representing the consulting firm of Reynolds, Smith and Hills of Tampa, told members of an East Central Florida Regional Planning Council steering committee that operations at the six airports could become a critical problem soon.

In a preliminary report, the consultant said one way to solve the problem would be to build more airports in Volusia, west Orange, Osceola and Brevard counties.

But members of a steering committee helping to draft a plans for a statewide aviation system said they would rather upgrade and expand airports than build new ones.

They ruled out new airports except possibly one for Volusia County.

The East Central Florida Regional Planning Council is one of four regional groups working with the Federal Aviation Administration, the state Department of Transportation and a private consulting firm to come up with a system that would lessen air travel demands at several Florida airports. A $2.2 million grant from FAA is being used to fund the system.

Once the system is on paper, it would help local airports obtain state and federal money for necessary expansion or improvements, said James Sheppard, manager of FAA's district office in Orlando.

''It will be a lot easier once you have a state-approved plan,'' he told the committee members.

Sheppard said the state could supply as much as $50 million to $100 million to municipal and regional airports for growth-related improvements and expansions over the next 20 years. He said the state already has spent about $23 million for airport improvements this year, and that $30 million has been set aside for next year.

Sheppard said that approaching local governments, including city and county planners, is the next step in coming up with the overall system that eventually would be adopted by the Legislature.

Steering committee members, who represent airports, agreed, and promised to meet with local government officials and consultants before the committee meets in June.

The consulting firm then will analyze the reports before it lists specific recommendations that will tie in with data from the three other regional planning councils.

DOT aviation planning administrator Laurence Bauman said the first draft of the system, which projects airport needs through the year 2005, should be completed by December.

Robert Babis, an economic analyst with DOT, said officials from airports that are close together will meet to clarify their roles and to avoid competing with each other.